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In a letter published in Wednesday's edition of
The Times newspaper, the musicians said the government had
broken a promise to negotiate visa-free travel for musicians in
the European Union.
"The deal done with the EU has a gaping hole where the promised
free movement for musicians should be: everyone on a European
music tour will now need costly work permits and a mountain of
paperwork for their equipment," they wrote.
"The extra costs will make many tours unviable, especially for
young emerging musicians who are already struggling to keep
their heads above water owing to the COVID ban on live music."
Britain completed its journey out of the European Union on Dec.
31. One of the consequences of Brexit is that British and
European citizens no longer enjoy free movement in each other's
territories.
The musicians urged the government to negotiate a reciprocal
deal allowing paperwork-free travel for touring artists.
The stellar list of signatories ranged across almost all styles
of music, from The Sex Pistols and Iron Maiden to acclaimed
cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who performed at the wedding of
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Radiohead, Elton John, Bob Geldof, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno,
Liam Gallagher and Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor also
signed.
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who and an outspoken Brexiteer
who had previously dismissed concerns about tours after Brexit,
was also on the list.
Culture minister Caroline Dinenage has blamed the EU, saying it
rejected British proposals on behalf of creative artists. The
government has said it was prepared to further discuss the issue
with the bloc.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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